Keynote Speakers

Prof. Shaolin Liao, IEEE Senior Member, Sun Yat-sen University, China

Title: The Ultimate of Circuits Design: Electromagnetics

Abstract: The ever-increasing demands of big data, digital computing and wireless communication pose great challenges for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) design of Integrated Circuits (ICs). With decreasing scaling of SWaP, more and more applications like 5G+/6G and automotive radars are working at high-frequency bands (e.g., millimeter-wave and terahertz bands). Thus, traditional lump-element analysis tools such as Modified Nodal Analysis (MNA) adopted in SPICE Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software are not sufficient to analyze modern ICs of Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI), for example, millimeter-wave Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC). Instead, distributed ElectroMagnetics (EM) simulation tools like the Partial Element Equivalent Circuit (PEEC) method is needed to increase the accurate design of EM compatibility, signal integrity, and power integrity. What’s more important, to integrate EM components like Multiple Inputs Multiple Outputs (MIMO) antenna arrays and Reconfigurable Intelligent Meta-Surfaces (RIMS) into the end-to-end ICs simulation, 3D full-wave Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) becomes the ultimate tool. Finally, the powerful optimization capability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques can be integrated into the CEM (AI-CEM) for efficient simulation and design of large-scale EM systems.

Experience: Prof. Shaolin Liao obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2008, from the University Wisconsin, Madison and B.S. in Materials Science Engineering in 2000, from Tsinghua University. Dr. Liao has performed two terms of Postdoctoral Research from 2008 to 2013: one in Physics department of City University of New York (CUNY), from 2008 to 2010 and the other in Nuclear Science Engineering division of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), a US Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne LLC, from 2010 to 2013. He was later promoted as a R&D Scientist in Nuclear Science Engineering division of ANL since 2013. At the same time, he was hired as a Research Professor and Adjunct Faculty of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), since 2019. In 2021, Dr. Liao was hired as a Professor of School of Electronics and Information Technology (SEIT), under the category of "Disciplinary Leader" of the "Hundreds Talents Program" of Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU). Prof. Liao’s research focuses in the multidisciplinary area of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Electromagnetics and Photonics. He has published nearly 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. At the same time, he serves as Editorial Board of many journals like IEEE Access. Prof. Liao was promoted as the IEEE Senior Member in 2015.

Dr. Nachappa Gopalsami, IEEE Fellow, Argonne National Laboratory,  America

Title: Current Trends in Millimeter Wave Sensing

Abstract: Millimeter-wave band, positioned between microwave and terahertz portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, has unique attributes such as MMIC electronics, high bandwidth, atmospheric window together with compactness and low cost, which has engendered many applications.  This talk highlights four emerging applications: 5G communication for high data-rate and low latency communication, automotive radar in ADAS for passenger safety, passive mm-wave imaging in optically obscure environment, and vibrometry for far-field health monitoring of vital signs.  In keeping with the recent trend in the ubiquitous application of AI/ML in many fields such as smart home, natural language processing, banking, remote sensing, and autonomous driving, this talk also touches upon its potential application in mm-wave sensing.

Experience: Nachappa (Sami) Gopalsami, Ph.D., IEEE Fellow, obtained his Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), US. He is a Senior Scientist with Argonne National Laboratory, a Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne LLC （https://www.anl.gov/）. Dr. Gopalsami’s current research interests include millimeter-wave remote sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy with application to national and homeland security. He has been granted a couple of R&D 100 awards in the field of millimeter-wave techniques and their applications.